By Sanjay Kirpalani, Bleacher Report:
The questions that have surrounded the future of Phillip Sims at Alabama will finally come to a halt, as he announced his intention to transfer on Friday. Sims has not announced the school he intends to enroll in, but in his statement in the press release issued by the Crimson Tide’s media relations department, he stated the desire to move closer to his hometown of Chesapeake, Va.

Had Sims stayed, Nick Saban would have enjoyed the luxury of having one of the country’s most talented backup quarterbacks. Considering the strong performance Sims had at the A-Day game two weeks ago (9-of-12, 135 yards and two touchdown passes), the news of his departure leaves a significant hole behind starting quarterback A.J. McCarron. With Sims gone, Alabama will play this fall with only three scholarship quarterbacks, and McCarron’s backups will consist of two players who have never taken a collegiate snap. [More]